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What Is a Cardiothoracic Surgeon?

Overview

A cardiothoracic surgeon is a medical doctor who specializes in surgical procedures of the heart, lungs, esophagus, and other organs in the chest. This includes surgeons who can be called cardiac surgeons, cardiovascular surgeons, general thoracic surgeons, and congenital heart surgeons.

A group of Cardiothoracic Surgeons in the operating room at St. Louis University in Missouri

What is a Cardiothoracic Surgeon

Cardiothoracic surgeons will graduate from medical school and go on to complete either a 5-year general surgery residency followed by a 2- or 3-year cardiothoracic surgery residency program, or enter into a 6-year integrated cardiothoracic surgery residency.

Some cardiothoracic surgeons choose to do additional training in a subspecialized area but this training is optional with the exception of congenital heart surgery, which requires completion of a 1-year fellowship.

Your primary care physician, cardiologist, pulmonologist, or gastroenterologist may send you to a cardiothoracic surgeon if he/she feels that you could benefit from specialized treatment.

How a Thoracic Surgeon differs from a Cardiologist or Pulmonologist

A cardiologist will primarily diagnose disorders of the heart and treat them with medication. Cardiologists also perform interventions on the arteries in the heart working through puncture wounds in the groin, but they do not perform open surgery.

A pulmonologist will diagnose disorders of the lung and treat them with medication. Some pulmonologists will perform interventions through the airway but do not perform open surgery.

Cardiothoracic surgeons who have completed approved residency training, hold a full and unrestricted license to practice medicine in the United States, and maintain an ethical standing in the profession are eligible for board certification.

Role on the Healthcare Team

All cardiothoracic surgeons have the same general training and are certified by the same specialty board, except for congenital heart surgeons who have a sub-specialty certificate in addition to the American Board of Thoracic Surgery (ABTS) certification.

Video of Cardiothoracic Surgeons: What We Do and How We Care for You

Cardiothoracic Surgeons play an important role on the healthcare team. Watch Todd K. Rosengart, MD, Ram Kumar Subramanyan, MD, PhD, Leah M. Backus, MD, Jeffrey B. Rich, MD, Robbin G. Cohen, MD, MMM, and Jeffrey P. Jacobs, MD describe what cardiothoracic surgeons do, the team approach to surgical care, and how they make a difference for their patients.